Possible hydrolock? Repair procedure?

[Artractor]

Laid my L45 on its side while moving some dirt. Bone head move, but wasn't hurt, except for my pride and wallet from wrecker service.

It probably ran for 30 seconds on its side. Hard to tell.

Anyhow, stood it up, let it set for 4 days, checked fluids abs battery, they all look ok. Went to turn it over and it makes one chug kinda sound, then electrical sounding click by key, and that's it. I didn't hold the key or try to push it, but did try that sane thing a couple times.

Is it likely that it's hydrolocked? Tried to get injectors out, they will be a pain, poor access.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[Diydave]

Might be hydrolocked, might just have a cable loose from the roll. Try cleaning up the cable ends, and where the ground strap terminates. Just keep using your head, if it does the same thing, you might yet have to pull the injectors...

 

[Artractor]

Ok, will continue looking it over. I put a battery charger on battery for good measure.

I played around a little with injectors, not easy to get the wrench on. After unscrewing the fuel line, what would be next to get injectors out?

Sorry for misspellings....fat thumb, small phone.

 

[Artractor]

Also, if I go the injector removal route what exactly do I rotate to turn engine over, or would I just use key once injectors are out?

I'm pretty mechanial.. after ive worked on it once. Trying also gauge if I should just suck it up and call dealer for service. About a year ago, I had to call for service on a skid steer after I worked on it for 8 hours, trying not to make that kind of mistake again.

Thanks!

 

[MagKarl]

Do you have a compression release? I would pull it if you have it, at bare minimum I would have turned the engine over several revolutions by hand. Not familiar with your tractor, but most engines have a nut you can get onto holding the crank pulley.

 

[Tooljunkie]

I would have pulled glow plugs before injectors. My .02 cents worth.

 

[coachgeo]

pull which ever is easier... Glow plugs or injectors. DO NOT TURN OVER WITH starter. DO NOT LET IT FIRE off at all till you are 100% sure nothing is in the cylinders. Turn over by hand with decompression lever off to move all pistons thru a few cycles allowing what ever in there (or not) to get pushed out the hole. Do this cold so there is no way it can fire and cut your arms off if your using the fan to turn it by hand. AFTER you've done this with the holes still open use starer with NO GLOW done and decompress on to spin it more to spit out anything else in there.

If something is in there but not "full" enough to lock it complete...... and say 2 of three cylinders fire off... you can bend a rod in the other as what ever in there gets forced past rings or thru head gasket and create a situation where at first all seems fine but your engine's life then deteriorates realllll fast. Within weeks, months, to year later your engine goes.

 

[Daren Todd]

Battery could have lost a bunch of acid if tipped on it's side. Also could have shorted out.

Definitely want to pull either the injectors or glow plugs like others have stated

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Pull either the injectors or the glow plugs and hit the starter, it will purge anything that's in there and then you'll know.

 

[Jeep guy]

Hello
I am dealing with a similar issue. We’re you able to get this figured out?

 

[Ramos]

Sorry to say, this thread is from 2 1/2 years ago.

That being said, we have a customer that recently 'soft-rolled' his new (Green) compact tractor in a ditch. Tractor now has less than 150 hours and a brand new motor. I believe in his case, it starved for oil while still running. If I were you, I would pull injectors or glow plugs and turn it over by hand before doing anything else.

 

[Flat Tire]

I laid my BX2360 (with FEL) over with the engine running earlier this week. Fortunately it didn't fall on me and I fell clear and wasn't injured at all. When I got back on my feet a few seconds after the tractor fell, I couldn't kill the engine. It kept running on its side, blowing out a huge amount of smoke until it finally died.

When I got the tractor back upright on its wheels, which is no easy task for a 72-year old to do by yourself, the engine wouldn't turn over. It wasn't frozen but I couldn't get it to turn through the first compression stroke with the starter nor by hand. The tractor was in a location that I couldn't load it on my trailer to get it to the shop. Even if I could get it to the shop, I could envision several thousand dollars of repairs.

Thanks goodness for the internet and this forum. Others had said they laid theirs over and had reported the same problem - hydrolocking. Sure enough when I removed the glow plugs, which was reasonably easy in the field, and cranked the engine with the starter, oil and diesel shot out of the #3 cylinder glow plug opening, out all over me and the tractor. That's about the only time I've been pleased to be sprayed with oil and diesel.

I put the glow plugs back in and cranked the engine and it started! It blew out a lot of smoke for several minutes but finally settled down and runs with no apparent engine damage. I know I'll need to closely monitor the oil level as I use the tractor to make sure the cylinders didn't score.

Just wanted to pass this on to others who may have had the same unfortunate experience and may have thought their engine was toast. From my limited, and hopefully the only, experience your engine probably is OK.

 

[Ramos]

Awesome! An engine oil and filter change is in order. Depending on the terrain you were on, liquid ballast and/or rear wheel spacers may need to be considered to limit this to a 'one-time-experience'.

 

[eserv]

I laid my BX2360 (with FEL) over with the engine running earlier this week. Fortunately it didn't fall on me and I fell clear and wasn't injured at all. When I got back on my feet a few seconds after the tractor fell, I couldn't kill the engine. It kept running on its side, blowing out a huge amount of smoke until it finally died.

When I got the tractor back upright on its wheels, which is no easy task for a 72-year old to do by yourself, the engine wouldn't turn over. It wasn't frozen but I couldn't get it to turn through the first compression stroke with the starter nor by hand. The tractor was in a location that I couldn't load it on my trailer to get it to the shop. Even if I could get it to the shop, I could envision several thousand dollars of repairs.

Thanks goodness for the internet and this forum. Others had said they laid theirs over and had reported the same problem - hydrolocking. Sure enough when I removed the glow plugs, which was reasonably easy in the field, and cranked the engine with the starter, oil and diesel shot out of the #3 cylinder glow plug opening, out all over me and the tractor. That's about the only time I've been pleased to be sprayed with oil and diesel.

I put the glow plugs back in and cranked the engine and it started! It blew out a lot of smoke for several minutes but finally settled down and runs with no apparent engine damage. I know I'll need to closely monitor the oil level as I use the tractor to make sure the cylinders didn't score.

Just wanted to pass this on to others who may have had the same unfortunate experience and may have thought their engine was toast. From my limited, and hopefully the only, experience your engine probably is OK.

In one way you were quite lucky though! quite often a conrod or two get bent trying to start a hydrolocked engine! If you ever do it again remove the glow plugs BEFORE you try to start it. If the engine misfires a bit when cold then you know there is a bent rod.

 

[OrangeColoredTractor]

I bet some oil leaked past the piston rings and ended up on top of the piston. As everyone else stated, pull glow plugs and roll over by hand, several revolutions. Then you can probably roll it over with the starter then at a quicker rate expelling enough of the oil to reassemble and safely start it at that point.

 

[eserv]

I bet some oil leaked past the piston rings and ended up on top of the piston. As everyone else stated, pull glow plugs and roll over by hand, several revolutions. Then you can probably roll it over with the starter then at a quicker rate expelling enough of the oil to reassemble and safely start it at that point.

The oil usually gets into the intake manifold through the crankcase ventilation hose. You can actually have this happen if you pour oil into the filler hole too fast.

 

[PA-SF]

my b6200d has the same issue i try to turn the engine and get a chunk and that is it . my tractor did not have a rollover but i did have the injectors repaired the original owner let the tractor sit and rust was in the tank filter was like a deformed worm etc. i did not know about the purgeing i did it at the injectors not the injection pump . i have a new starter solenoid and ignition switch . i pulled the 3 glow plugs to turn over some chunk sound no fluid how do you turn the motor by hand i am stumped. lost in kabota purgotory

 

[lugbolt]

my b6200d has the same issue i try to turn the engine and get a chunk and that is it . my tractor did not have a rollover but i did have the injectors repaired the original owner let the tractor sit and rust was in the tank filter was like a deformed worm etc. i did not know about the purgeing i did it at the injectors not the injection pump . i have a new starter solenoid and ignition switch . i pulled the 3 glow plugs to turn over some chunk sound no fluid how do you turn the motor by hand i am stumped. lost in kabota purgotory

if the glow plugs or injectors are out you can turn it by using the fan. That's generally what I always did. Might have to adjust the fan belt tension as it gets loose with age and hours.

this thread reminds us why I hate the closed crankcase ventilation system used on modern diesel engines. If the tractor is rolled over, engine lube oil will get into the intake manifold or into the turbo inlet, and usually ends up in the engine. You hit the key, it cranks over a half revolution and clack--it stops. Hopefully. Lot of times bends the rod(s) in the process. The other big issue is, the same, oil in the intake. Once the engine does start, the oil in the intake manifold acts as a fuel. The engine can run on it's own oil and the only way to shut it down is cut off it's air supply. Iv'e seen this happen too. Engine runaway.

So yeah in a way I'd rather it vent to the atmosphere like they used to, no way for oil to get into the intake that way. But the atmospheric crankcase vent can allow dirt to get into the engine, so it's a "catch 22".

 

[PA-SF]

if the glow plugs or injectors are out you can turn it by using the fan. That's generally what I always did. Might have to adjust the fan belt tension as it gets loose with age and hours.

this thread reminds us why I hate the closed crankcase ventilation system used on modern diesel engines. If the tractor is rolled over, engine lube oil will get into the intake manifold or into the turbo inlet, and usually ends up in the engine. You hit the key, it cranks over a half revolution and clack--it stops. Hopefully. Lot of times bends the rod(s) in the process. The other big issue is, the same, oil in the intake. Once the engine does start, the oil in the intake manifold acts as a fuel. The engine can run on it's own oil and the only way to shut it down is cut off it's air supply. Iv'e seen this happen too. Engine runaway.

So yeah in a way I'd rather it vent to the atmosphere like they used to, no way for oil to get into the intake that way. But the atmospheric crankcase vent can allow dirt to get into the engine, so it's a "catch 22".

 

[PA-SF]

well the chunck noise i hear when turning engine was not hydrolock . it was a washer must have been in air intake pipe and got sucked into the cylinder head then going to the front piston . the intake is bent and will need to be replaced . taking the head to a machine shop to see if it ok to reuse . just when i thought i had it made BAM! right in the old pocket book. so i pulled oil pan to see if damage was done looks good and tight. i pulled the front drive line to get the oil pan off and put a oil
seal pinion shaft. had some gear oil in u
.joint cover pretty sure it needs to clean and dry keeping oil in the front differential. the fun just never stops !